The word of the week: SLUSH

Sad to say but with the warm up of temperatures last week and the thick blanket of snow on most of the northern feeder lakes and Devils Lake itself, we are in a condition of many areas of slush, especially where there has ben any amount of fishing activity.

We have witnessed a few people driving out on North Six Mile with pickups and Creel bay has a trail system plowed by Woodland Resort but barring an epic weather event we are not suggesting you rely on driving your pick up out on the lake in very many places.  Tracked vehicles are strongly recommended still.

Now Bright Spot

Stump Lake remains the one shining light and is the exception to that rule.  4-Wheel Drive pick up travel is possible out on Stump Bay.  There is significantly less snow out there and aside from a few slush areas it is a lot easier to get around. The Perch bite out there has been good at times and mobility is possible to get on the next Perch bite.

Accesses

Some are real good, some are not so much:

Lakewood is not plowed out and the access is kind of a mess.

Woodland Resort remains, as usual, outstanding and offers a place to park your trailer, grab bait and food, and your wobbly pop choice of the day.

Behind Pop’s can be accessed by vehicle and there are limited truck trails to various spots.

Estenson’s on the south end of Black Tiger is cleared out and offers a place to park the trailer and access the lake with tracks.

The Dion Road is track accessible from the east and we have seen a few trucks get on from the west on the North End of 6 Mile Bay

The Casino offers a place to park the trailer and access the lake.

East Devils Lake can be accessed by the dumpsters.

Grahams Island is cleared and offers access to the Main Bay and Flats areas.

The northern feeder lakes are a little trickier.  Lake Alice/Lake Irvine can be accessed in a number of spots but parking on the shoulder of a gravel road and blocking heavy equipment traffic will draw you a ticket and possible tow.  Many farmers are attempting haul grain at this time and we ask all of you fisherman to park responsibly.  It is their livelihood.

The amount of slush up on those lakes is considerable and I would not dream of attempting to get around out there with anything but a tracked vehicle.  Also, lots of water under the snow and on top of the ice, make sure your boots are 100% waterproof.

What All Of This Means To You

The really good news on top of all of this is, if you have the means to navigate the lake with a tracked vehicle, there is very good fishing to be had.

The Northern Pike and Walleye bite up on the northern lakes has dipped a little but remains strong and with a little know how and knowledge of where the structure exists up there, Walleye limits are not just attainable but pretty expected.

The main lake has seen about 50%-60% of the normal yearly traffic so far so there are a lot of untouched areas and fishing pressure has been less than previous years meaning there are a lot of fresh schools of Perch out there if you have the gumption to drill a few holes and find them.

Some More Start Points for You To Explore

Good Luck Our there,

Hold On To Your Rod…

and

CATCH MORE FISH!